Question

Chlorine forms number of oxides including chlorine dioxide. Identify the correct statements regarding chlorine dioxide

• A. It is a yellow coloured paramagnetic gas which does not dimerise
• B. Both Cl₂O and ClO₂ have bent structure. Bond angle of Cl₂O is greater than that of ClO₂
• C. ClO₂ is a mixed anhydride of chlorous acid and chloric acid
• D. ClO₂ reacts with O₂ on heating to give Cl₂O₆

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (C)

A, C

Answer 2

Let's analyze each statement regarding chlorine dioxide (ClO₂):

A. It is a yellow coloured paramagnetic gas which does not dimerise

• Color: Chlorine dioxide is a yellowish-green or yellow-brown gas.
• Paramagnetic: ClO₂ has 19 valence electrons (7 from Cl and 12 from 2 O atoms). Having an odd number of valence electrons makes it paramagnetic.
• Dimerisation: ClO₂ does not dimerize readily, unlike NO₂.

Therefore, statement A is correct.

B. Both Cl₂O and ClO₂ have bent structure. Bond angle of Cl₂O is greater than that of ClO₂

• Structure of Cl₂O: It has a bent structure with a bond angle of approximately 110.9°.
• Structure of ClO₂: It has a bent structure with a bond angle of approximately 117.6°.

The bond angle of Cl₂O is less than that of ClO₂. Therefore, statement B is incorrect.

C. ClO₂ is a mixed anhydride of chlorous acid and chloric acid

• ClO₂ reacts with water to form both chlorous acid (HClO₂) and chloric acid (HClO₃):

  $2\text{ClO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow \text{HClO}_2 + \text{HClO}_3$

Therefore, statement C is correct.

D. ClO₂ reacts with O₂ on heating to give Cl₂O₆

• ClO₂ decomposes upon heating, rather than reacting with O₂:

  $2\text{ClO}_2 \xrightarrow{\text{heat}} \text{Cl}_2 + 2\text{O}_2$

Therefore, statement D is incorrect.

Conclusion: Statements A and C are correct.